What size should images be for PowerPoint?

For clarification on the sometimes muddy issue of image resolution for PowerPoint presentations, Microsoft has a good explanation on their website.

In short, the resolution of your images will only display as large as the projector's (and your computer's) capabilities. The standard size for projection output typically has been 1024x768 at 96 dpi, but this is changing as technology changes. The new Christie projectors that we have just installed in Moffitt have an output resolution as high as 1920x1080. However, if your computer is only capable of projecting at 1024x768, it defaults to this as an output if you have the monitor mirroring setting enabled.

For more information on the Christie DHD800 projector specifications, see their website. You may also view information on the new Panasonic projectors here.

Projector troubleshooting tips

I have created a document with the most common projector problems and instructions on how to resolve them. You may download the projector troubleshooting guide here. Educational Technology Services is also available to help, should you encounter a problem during class. ETS can be reached at 510-643-8637. They also offer one-on-one classroom equipment orientations. You may schedule your orientation on the ETS website.

Is Your Mac Projecting Too Dark?

If your Macintosh is displaying too dark when projected, you may need to change your color profile. You can access the color profile options under the display preferences on your Mac. Education Technology Services has outlined simple instructions on how to select the best display settings on their website help center.

ARTstor Goes Mobile!

ARTstor registered users can now access the ARTstor image database through the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Read-only features such as searching, browsing, zooming, and viewing are available in the mobile format. Log-on to ARTstor from your mobile device by going to http://library.artstor.org in the Safari browser. For more details, visit the ARTstor Help page at http://help.artstor.org/wiki/index.php/ARTstor_Mobile.

Media Vault Program Ending

The three-year, grant-funded UC Berkeley Media Vault Program comes to an end this month. Although the program officially comes to an end very soon, they will be extending online access to our Portfolio website through the end of January 2011. At the end of January, the site will be removed and you may no longer access our collection images through this portal.

A new service, dubbed the Research Hub (was originally named Media Hub), will be introduced soon. The Research Hub team is currently working on pricing and terms of service for their limited release this fall. For the most recent news (as of this date) on the program, see their news site.

Super High-Resolution Images from the Uffizi Gallery

Have you every wanted to see Caravaggio’s Bacchus so close up that you could see the dirt under his fingernails? Or see the individual characters on the pages of text in Leonardo’s Annunciation?

Well, now you can, thanks to HaltaDefinizione’s propriety technology Real High Definition (RHD). HaltaDefinizione is an Italian company with an agreement to photograph 24 masterworks from the Uffizi Gallery’s collection. Leonardo’s Annunciation, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera, Caravaggio’s Bacchus and Bronzino’s Portrait of Eleonore of Toledo (1545) are some of the works available for viewing on the HaltaDefinizione website.

These images are of such high-resolution that you can zoom into the image to see every little brushstroke and crack of the paint. In fact, their image of Botticelli’s Primavera is so high-res that it contains 28 billion pixels which is about 3000 times the resolution of a typical digital camera.

You can read more about it in the posting on Wired.com, featuring commentary by UC Berkeley’s Associate Professor of Art History, Todd P. Olson.

Featured Collection: The British Museum

The British Museum has over 500,000 of their collection images available through their online database. The images are available in download sizes of 1024 pixels wide, or greater, and are approved for non-commercial education use.

In addition, the British Museum offers high-resolution images (2500 pixels wide) free of charge, that can be used for non-commercial publications with a print-run of less than 4,000. You may order up to 100 of these high-resolution images per month. See their website for more information on obtaining their high-res images.